OT - God the Tigers Suck
It's almost the All Star break, are the Tigers seem like a team that is sliding toward mediocrity. In the past the Tigers could rely on superior starting pitching and inferior competition in the AL Central to eek their way into the playoffs. Now neither of those things exist and team just seems totally listless. Someone please tell me that there is some realistic hope for the second half of the season becasue this is getting depressing to follow. Harbaugh can't get here fast enough.
It sucks the team didn't win a World Series, but at least Dombrowski went for it all last year. He traded for Soria and Price (best closer and starter at the deadline), it just didn't work out. Tigers remind me of the Cleveland Indians of the 90s. Plenty of talent, but could never finish the job.
Cubs are actually set up pretty decent this year and looks like they could make the playoffs
The rivalry between St. Louis and Chicago will become more intense. The Cardinals have been the best organization (i.e. most consistent) in MLB since 2000.
And this year's Cardinals feel like a team of destiny. St. Louis is currently on pace for 108 wins even after all the injuries. This might be the season Mike Matheny finally get a ring after being close the previous 3 seasons: NLCS loss in 2012, WS loss in 2013, and NLCS loss in 2014.
FYI: Matheny is a former Michigan baseball player.
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Spoiled IMO is having championships and are consistently a playoff contender. Can't call a fan base spoiled if they haven't won the whole thing in over 30 years. I don't consider Michigan fans spoiled anymore (especially the last 7 years). Alabama/OSU fans different story.
They need somebody to step up and lock down the #2 spot in the rotation. The starting pitching has been extremely inconsistent. Also, Kinsler is killing them in the 2 spot. You can't have someone in front of Miggy hitting .250.
The window has closed.
I know they have their weaknesses in the bullpen...but the Tigers still have a decent starting staff, a lot of stars and a very accomplished if not solid lineup. They are also pretty good defensively.
The bottom line is that Brad Ausmus is way over his head as manager. His decisions have cost this team at least 6 wins this season and at least 10 last season.
Hiring Brad was a bad decision, for an organization that was at the time on the cusp of a WS title.
Brad must be replaced, along with Joyner and the rest of that underperforming coaching staff.
Poor bullpen, under performing rotation. Hitters that are hot an cold. Non stellar defense! KC has the division wrapped up. Still time for Tigers to compete for a wild card spot but they better start playing better. I've kind of given up on them and can't wait for the Utah game!
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would Leyland make the crappy starting pitchers pitch better?
Leyland was rightfully let go after the debacle 2013 ALCS versus Boston.
You go from potentially a 2-0 lead and a great chance at a sweep, to losing in six games.
I don't care if Boston won the World Series that year, Leyland botched that series and it was clear it was time to go.
He managed that series like he was already retired.
No, the press conference came after the Tigers were eliminated. He may have informed the front office, but I don't think he told the team until the night Boston ended their season.
One of things a good manager does, is stabilize the team by keeping the clubhouse going and not making completely assinine decisions to blow key ball games as Brad has done.
Every time this team gets on a little roll, Brad has made a critical tactical error to blow a key game... the team then tanks and loses the momentum that they desperately need.
Its not this season either. Last year when they were loaded with 3 Cys, 2 MVPs etc. they went on long losing streaks, struggled to win 90+ games and were swept by an inferior team in the playoffs.
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Very happy to see the Tigers taking it in the shorts. They are just the Yankees of the Central and have been for quite a while now.
2015 payrolls
Det 174M
Chi 115M
KC 114M
MT 109M
Cle 86M
Source http://deadspin.com/2015-payrolls-and-salaries-for-every-mlb-team-16950…
Neg away.
Theres a saying - show me a team with a bad bullpen and I'll show you a team with a manager on the hot seat.
But, Blessyouboys has an article up about all the blunders Ausmus has made in just the last couple weeks. If you have extra innings and watch the other team's broadcasts brad's strange (sloppy?) decisions come up often.
He may eventually be a good manager, but I think its becoming pretty clear he isn't seasoned enough for the gig he got.
I will say that I am beginning to believe that where others see baseball being played and discussed, Brad Ausmus sometimes sees....
Pretty much, I certainly can't defend them at this point. The rotation is Price, Sanchez then hope for rain, the bullpen melted down this month after a solid April and May, and the offense (while littered with solid hiiters) can't buy a clutch hit when it matters, other than JD Martinez.
The run of the past 6 years has been wonderful, and despite not getting a title I'll look upon it fondly because it made the summer's quite enjoyable, but truthfully this team is just painfully average and it's hard to watch.
Maybe the Tigers couldn't afford to keep Max Scherzer, but getting rid of him is the biggest factor in Detroit's mediocrity.
He would have stayed for more money. It's easy to spend someone else's money, especially when it's pizza money, but Illitch should have done it. Illitch has invested so much in the Tigers over the last fifteen years. A Word Series title would have perfected that investment, and left a legacy. That required Scherzer.
The problem with that was we had too many huge contracts to pitchers. Even though he is a great player, having that much money tied into pitchers is crazy.
We would have had to trade someone. Or stop signing guys to terrible contracts. Verlander being terrible now makes him untradeable unless we eat most of the contract.
Fister was relatively cheap at the time and we traded him. He would have been a solid middle of the rotation guy.
Pitching and luck win World Series titles, but not necessarily in that order. You can control one but not the other.
The problem now is we are stuck with Verlander's ridiculous contract. 5-8 years ago, the Yankees would be willing to eat these type of contracts and let their coaches rebuid the pitcher.
But these days, even the Yankees are shrewd with their money and wouldn't take that contract.
If I were the Tigers, I would trade or release Joba Chamberline and trade Kinsler.
Also, if near the trading deadline we are still struggling, either sign David Price long term or trade him.
The Tigers knew the Scherzer wasn't coming back and they kept him to get a draft pick. Not sure why you don't trade him in the middle of 2014 and get some proven players.
That's quite a bit unrealistic on your part to suggest that we should have traded Max last season.
They pretty much knew he was leaving.
But like you said, they also probably thought they could make the World Series.
I never considered us a threat to win it despite being Vegas favorites.
The only way to have kept him was to trade Sanchez or Velander though, never of which was realistic.
This team has two glaring holes in its lineup: Kinsler has given them nothing at 2B for 40 games now, and Castellanos has been horrid at 3B.
You all are going to think I'm a crackpot (if you don't already), but if Avila is healthy, I'd hit Iglesias in the 2-spot against lefties, and seriously consider hitting Avila in the 2-spot against some righties. Avila actually has a nice OBP against RHP. Against lefties, I'd hit Avila somewhere between twelfth and fifteenth. McCann would still be my primary catcher, but you know just as well as I do that's not going to happen.
I have no idea what on earth we're going to do with Castellanos at 3B for the duration. There's nothing in the minors at 3B that is remotely viable right now.
It's almost like Ausmus doesn't have the balls to move Kinsler out of that spot in fear of upset a veteran player.
Dickerson and Price mentioned today that Kinsler is hitting .193 in his last 38 games (or so). And he's hitting in the #2 spot, ahead of the best hitter in the game. You can't have that.
By process of elimination, either Gose or Davis should be hitting leadoff, and the other one must sit, as you have Cespedes and JD in the other two OF spots, and Victor hits DH. Therefore, your options are Iglesias, Cespedes, whoever is catching, and Castellanos. Cespedes does not have a great OBP, Castellanos is self-explanatory, and Avila has a decent OBP against RHP (something like .360, IIRC. Someone find that for me, please). Therefore, that leaves Iglesias in the #2 spot most of the time, and Avila may be viable there against select right-handed pitching.
I don't know what to do about the bottom half of the rotation or 3B. There aren't any answers in Toledo. There's Dixon Machado and a couple 280-pound Latin American pitchers that can throw 95. That's it.
It is the manager. Clint Hurdle, who's team just swept Brad's, spent 9 years in the minors working his way up as a manager after his MLB career ended. Leyland spent years in the minors, Sparky too.
The overwhelming majority of successful MLB managers spent years learning their trade before being thrown in as an MLB manager.
Ausmus was, and is...overwhelmed with situational managing. This is the reason why the Tigers are 1-32 in games that they are trailing after 7 innings and lose nearly all extra inning games. He does not know how to situationally manage in close games. This is something that comes from years of manigerial experience, where successful moves are from years of experience....experience which Brad may never have.
The talent level on this team is a 12-15 game over .500 at this point.
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This is what I'm saying. Hiring, young, recently retired MLB'ers seems to be the new fad. It seems to have worked in St Louise. I wonder what the full picture is. It used to be, you payed your dues in the minors and eventually got your shot. Ausmus took someone's shot. In those terms, not only is he not doing very well, he's also kind of unlikeable.
Even back in the day Tony LaRussa was a minor league manager, then a coach before he became a manager.
Joe Torre starting managing right after his career ended as a player, and he absolutely sucked for the first 7 years of his managerial career.
It takes time to develop managerial instincts and expertise.
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Not ready to give up.
The Tigers lineup is too strong to throw the season away. However, it's time to move Cespedes to the #2 spot. Has to happen immediately.
Davis/Gose
Cespedes
Cabrera
Martinez V
Martinez JD
McCann/Avila
Castellanos
Kinsler
Iglesias
Need to find a way to augment Soria and hope Rondon keeps it up.
Finally, Verlander MUST revert to an above average pitcher. 3.75, 1.40 WHIP.
If all those things happen.... I'm saying there's a chance.
But this series against the Pirates was an embarrassment.